In Cold Blood
by Lady Gaara
Summary: [Neji x Tenten] Team Gai gets the mission of their dreams, but Tenten's not doing as well as she used to. What can cheer her up?
1. Mistakes

**In Cold Blood  
**A Naruto Fan Fiction by Lady Gaara  
Chapter One Mistakes

* * *

"Tenten, snap out of it!"

Neji's words snapped the weapons master back to reality, allowing her to just barely block Rock Lee's kick that was directed toward her face. However, he had more momentum than she expected, causing his heel to knock her arms away and connect with her jaw. The force of the blow sent her back a few feet, and she fell over after stumbling over her feet.

Rubbing her head, she felt herself abruptly pulled up by her shoulders, and found herself being held before her crush's face. They were only inches apart….

"Get your act together! What is wrong with you? You've been screwing up like this for the past week and a half!"

"I'm sorry, Neji-san," stated Tenten softly, ashamed of her carelessness. "It won't happen again.

"I thought so!" exclaimed the Hyuuga boy, white eyes flashing with annoyance. "We finally got the mission of our dreams!" He softened slightly, and his grip loosened on her shoulders. "You're a vital part of our team, and that's why we had to keep a low profile at the first chuunin exams. So please, remain focused. For the team."

After blowing out a sigh, Tenten nodded, disgruntled. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"But its understandable," Lee piped up. "We've been pushing you extra hard lately. The stress must be getting to you!"

"Yeah. Stress. That's it." She nodded in agreement, but the stress was something she could handle. Stress was nothing!

Neji saw the lie in her eyes, yet said nothing. "Let's go get something to eat."

"Yosh!" Rock Lee leapt up and ran out of the forest, Neji getting ready to follow. "Coming?" he asked Tenten.

"…I just want to go home."

He shrugged and leapt off, leaving Tenten alone.

The kunoichi proceeded off toward her house. Her normal vibrant and determined eyes were sick with a mental sickness called depression. Her love for Neji had grown so much since she had completed her Chuunin exam last year, but everything spiraled downhill from there.

First, her parents were killed while on a mission of some sort, and that's when her depression had first started. Then Neji got more distant from her, and rarely asked for her help in practice. Gai and Lee had also isolated themselves from her for some reason, and since last week, it had been the first time they had trained together since she had become a chuunin.

She had tried cutting, and found it more painful than useful, had stopped. Instead, she'd lightly prick herself with a needle; it was less noticeable, and that was a plus. It caused pain, and she guessed that was the point of cutting, so she found the needle worked.

Upon entering her house, she clicked on the light and shut the door, then kicked off her sandals. It was cold and empty, just how she felt. She made a little something to eat, and ate in silence. Then, she took a shower and finally retreated into her bedroom where she would stretch out before bed.

She bent over and touched her toes, and then reached up and leant backwards, doing the bridge before hand springing up. She sat on the floor and stretched a bit more before crawling into bed.

* * *

Awakening to the smell of food downstairs, she sat up slowly and saw a piece of white paper with an arrow on it sitting on the floor. She got up, planting her bare feet on either side of the paper and standing up, smoothing her black tank top over her torso. She opened the door and peered out, spotting another arrow.

Lofting a brow, she stepped over that piece of paper, and she moved toward the top of the stairs and saw the arrow pointing downstairs, and then one at the bottom that told her to go around into the kitchen.

Running a hand through her long, brown hair, she walked down the steps slowly, and turned walking toward the kitchen door. Her purple satin pajama pants made no noise as she moved, and she placed her hand on the doorknob, staring at the arrow taped to the door, pointing toward the knob in her hand.

At last, she gently pushed the door opened and watched as it swung inward.

It was dark and dreary, as ever. She looked disappointed. Disappointed that someone would stoop so low as to falsely lead her to believe she had someone waiting for her in the kitchen. Disappointed at the fact that no one was here…especially on….

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The lights were clicked on by Neji just as Gai and Lee leapt up, holding a birthday cake. He smiled lightly at Tenten, who looked very confused.

"We're really sorry for not being very active in your life for the past year, especially since your parents…you know…." Lee looked down at his feet, but was soon shoved away by Gai.

"So, today, you get the day off while we cater to your every whim!" exclaimed Gai, smiling broadly, suddenly posing a cute guy pose with Lee, the 'ping' on their smiles going off.

"I…I…Thanks guys," she said after a moment of shock. "Really, you're too kind." She smiled gently, and felt as if a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. It felt so much better that they knew they hadn't been in her life very much, and she was sure they had a good reason, but she was going to be polite and not ask.

"You're welcome! Now, eat up!" Lee set a plate on the table; it was filled with delicious looking food, including some onigiri, a bottle of green tea, and some bacon and eggs. She lofted a brow. "Um…Lee….did you make this?"

"No," Neji answered, chuckling lightly. "Hinata did."

Tenten let out a sigh of relief and took a bit of the onigiri. She was done in minutes, and then she got up to go change and freshen up. But before she left, she gave Gai, Lee, and Neji each a hug. "Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do with out you."


	2. The Mission Begins

**In Cold Blood  
**A Fan fiction by Lady Gaara  
_Chapter One: The Mission Begins_

* * *

_As a response to **Natsyourlord**'s review, I wanted to tell you that it's not a fic about Tenten's depression because she can't cope with the fact that Neji is rejecting her. _

NO.

_Haven't you ever felt depressed? I was because she was temporarily alone; besides, her parents are dead. Yeah, okay, so kthnxbai._

_Anyways, enjoy the chapter. You learn about the mission….now.

* * *

_

She felt an overwhelming sense of unadulterated joy as she stared up in awe at the Hokage Tower, which loomed before Team Gai like a menacing omen.

"….Pinch me, I'm dreaming—OW!" She twapped Lee on the back of the head in annoyance and rubbed her arm where a small bruise was forming on the spot of where Lee had pinched her. "I didn't mean it literally you dolt!"

He looked sheepish. "Gomen nasai."

The team proceeded into the tower, Tenten's eyes darting back and forth as she tried to register the fact that _she was in Tsunade's tower!_

After she mentally calmed herself, she watched as the door to the uppermost room swung open, revealing Tsunade arguing with a very pissed off Naruto.

"I WANNA GO!" whined Naruto.

"That's just too darn bad, isn't it? This is their mission and—Oh. Hello."

The two stopped their old-married-couple bickering and Naruto plopped down on the floor next to Tsunade's desk.

"What now?" Gai asked, rolling his eyes in perfect synchronism with Lee.

"Granny Tsunade won't let me go on your mission with you!" he sobbed, tears coming down in anime-style waterfalls.

"Good-bye, Naruto."

Sulking, the Kyuubi boy disappeared out of the room, slamming the door to show his aggravation.

"You know of the mission, yes?"

"You haven't given us exclusive details yet, Tsunade-hime," Neji stated, arms crossed. He wasn't very happy with the fact that Tenten had her 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' look upon her feminine features.

"Tenten knows them, for that is because she is a vital part of said mission."

Gai and Lee leaned forward, as if they were about to be told the secret of where babies come from.

"As you know from the vague information I supplied you with, there is an illegal geisha operation conspiring somewhere within the Fire Country."

Neji didn't like where this was going.

"From the reports I get, the owner of the place captures women that would appeal to…older men, and forces them into labor as geisha. Seven of the many that were captured have committed suicide.

"Tenten has been specifically training with me for the past week and a half, along with you guys, to pose as a geisha."

Neji suddenly glared at Tenten. "Is that why you were slacking off!"

Her smug look remained in place, unwavering.

"But, I have taught her a specific Jutsu that will lull the man into a drunken stupor, and thus, Tenten will use a simple duplicate Jutsu (not the Shadow Clone, mind you), and made the man believe that he is actually making love to Tenten herself." Tsunade now had the same look as Tenten, obviously proud.

"However, if something goes wrong, she will wear a ring. The ring is actually a control that will activate a shock on a pendent. Each of you will wear one of the said pendants, and if she is in danger, you will be lurking close by. Also, she has a pin, and she will be able to talk to you through the pin."

Neji looked incredulous, his usually passive look replaced with an aghast one. "You made all these tools just for this mission?"

"Yes. It's extremely important that you find and destroy the psychopath behind this scheme and rid him of our world."

Gai finally spoke up. "How will we get reports?"

"Neji. Neji will be a weekly visitor, to make sure Tenten is in perfect health, and in no way violated."

_She better not be, _thought Neji angrily, disgruntled by the fact that he had not been informed of this major transformation; it was not only reckless, but also retarded!

"Lee, you'll act as her dresser. I trust you not to do anything perverted…For I have given her permission to…evict you from the premises."

Rock Lee paled. "O-Of course not, Tsunade-hime. I will not, under any circumstances, violate Tenten in any perverted way!"

"Good boy."

* * *

"Are you ready yet?" Neji had grown impatient with two hours of waiting, and had begun to pound on the door where Tenten and Tsunade were currently hidden, getting Tenten clothed in her kimono.

It wasn't as easy as it looked.

"Shut up," Tenten gasped, sounding as if she had run a marathon. "These things are really hard to get on!"

"Yeah, okay," stated Neji bluntly, intent on getting on the road. According to the coordinates Tsunade had given him, it would take a day and a half trip to get to the Geisha house.

Fifteen minutes later, Tenten emerged from the dressing room, followed by Tsunade, who smiled proudly…

…Until the brown-haired kunoichi fell to the ground.

"It's so heavy," she muttered, hauling her ass up off the ground and brushing off the kimono.

She was…extravagantly beautiful, to say the least.

She had gotten thinner than she had been, and the kimono was just her size, and was a deep violet with a cerulean blue obi and a sapphire diamond on her finder. Her hair was in only one bun, and there were a pair of chopsticks sticking out. Her face was dolled up with beautiful make-up, so she hardly looked like Tenten at all.

"…" Neji was the first to recover. "Well. I suppose it's time to go."


End file.
